Leia's Son
by Princess-Leilia
Summary: H/L mainly; Set during NJO...Leia finds a son she thought was dead. PG-13 for later chapters & just to be safe :) Please R/R
1. The Arrival

1 Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters & I'm not making any money off of then so don't sue me!  
  
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4 This AU story takes place during the NJO series but has flashbacks from Leia's teen years. It involves a son Leia never knew she had and her past relationship w/Kyle Katarn (this probably isn't possible, but oh well, it's nice to dream…lol), the child's father. Ok, enough of a summary…Here is goes…Please read & respond!!!!  
  
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6 Leia's Son  
  
"Kyle!" Leia yelled as she ran up to Jedi Master Kyle Karatan and embracing him.  
  
"It's good to see you to Leia," Kyle replied, grinning. She's still absolutely bewitching, he thought. "Been a while hasn't it?"  
  
"Too long!" Leia answered, looking up as someone else descended the ramp to Kyle's ship, the Moldy Crow. His friend, Jan Ors, had once owned the ship, but he had been recently captured by the Yuuzhan Vong. Kyle refused to believe that Ors was dead, but deep down, Kyle knew that he was lying to himself. "And who's this?" Leia asked, referring to the man who had just reached the pair.  
  
"Leia, this is my son, Dack. Dack, this is Princess Leia Organa Solo," Kyle said as he introduced them. Dack, who was approaching 30, smiled the best smile he could muster.  
  
"It's nice to meet you," Leia said, noticing how much he looked like Kyle. She'd never known that Kyle had a son. Oh well, she thought, I guess I'll ask him about it later.  
  
"You too, Ma'am," Dack replied, looking nervous as he gave a little bow. He reached out through the force to try to sense her feelings. He felt a great amount of grief, probably because of the death of her sons, he thought.  
  
"Please, call me Leia," the former princess of Alderaan said, feeling him probing her. She immediately shut herself off to him.  
  
"Ok, Leia," Dack said, realizing that he had been caught. He looked almost apologetic.  
  
"You've cut your hair, Leia," Kyle exclaimed, trying to relieve the tension between his son and Leia.  
  
"I had to on Duro. It was part of the decontamination," Leia replied, fingering her just-below-shoulder-length hair. She missed her long hair, but she felt the loss was so trivial compared to the death of her son Anakin and the disappearance of her older son Jacen.  
  
Kyle, sensing her thoughts, said, "I was so sorry to hear about the deaths of your sons."  
  
"Thank you, but only one of them is dead. The other one is just missing," Leia replied, slightly annoyed. How many times had she said that over the past through months? Every time, a little part of her died because she was beginning to believe, deep down, that maybe Jacen was dead.  
  
"How's this base coming along?" Kyle asked, changing the subject, using his hand to indicate the base, called Shelter, which was located deep in the Maw. Its location helped its existence to remain unknown to the Vong, at least for the time being.  
  
"Oh, it's coming ok, I guess. We're still collecting odds and ends to get it just the way we want it," Leia said. "I imagine by the time we finish it, the Vong will find it. They have a knack for doing things like that. Would you and Dack like a tour of the place?"  
  
"Sure, that sounds great, Leia," Kyle replied. Dack wasn't too thrilled at the prospect, though.  
  
"I think I'll just stay with the ship, and make sure every thing's shut down and working properly," Dack said, turning around and walking back up the ramp.  
  
Leia shot Kyle a quizzical look, but Kyle just shrugged and looked away. They began walking out of the hanger and into a corridor. "Are you hungry?" Leia asked.  
  
"Nah," Kyle said, "I ate before we landed. Where's your husband at right now?"  
  
"Han's most likely playing with his ship. Why?" Leia asked giving him a funny look.  
  
"No reason, just wondering. I've heard he's a very possessive man, just not looking for an early death."  
  
Leia smiled, "He won't kill you, don't worry. He might punch you around a little bit, but don't worry."  
  
Kyle laughed. Leia certainly hadn't loss her dry sense of humor. "I need to tell you something. Is there any place we can talk in private."  
  
"Sure," Leia said, getting a bad feeling about what Kyle needed to tell her. "My office is just down the hall."  
  
TBC  
  
What do you think of it so far? Please respond so that I know if I should continue the story or not! 


	2. My Son?

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
Please tell me what you think…Flames are welcomed…Nothing too harsh tho please! (  
  
  
  
When they arrived, she let him proceed her into the office and shut the door. She sat down behind her desk and indicated a chair for him across from the desk. He heavily sat down. Kyle looked around, noticing the lack of furniture and decoration. How was he going to tell Leia that Dack was her son? Leia broke the silence first, "What was it that you wanted to tell me?"  
  
"Oh, right," Kyle responded, ending his reverie. "Leia, how many times have you been pregnant."  
  
"Two," Leia responded slowly, wondering what he was getting at.  
  
"Leia, don't lie. Let's try this again. How many times have you been pregnant?"  
  
Then it hit her. He somehow found out that she had been pregnant long ago, while she had been dating him on Alderaan. "Three," Leia replied this time.  
  
"Very good," Kyle said softly, getting a little angry. Why was she being so secretive?  
  
"Kyle, what are you getting at?" Leia responded getting a little angry herself.  
  
"You were pregnant and you never even told me," Kyle yelled jumping up.  
  
"Kyle, it wasn't my fault. Please sit down and let me explain." Leia looked at him with pleading eyes. She waited until he sat down to begin her story. "Kyle, remember that time you went with my father to Allister?"  
  
"Yes," he replied. "I remember."  
  
"Well, while you were gone. I started feeling sick, and my mother insisted that I see a doctor. You know how she was. So I did. The doctor did some tests and then called my mother and my aunts in. He told me that I was two months pregnant. My aunts almost fainted and my mother started yelling at me. Asking me how you and me could be so stupid and not use protection. I told her that we did, but she didn't seem to hear me. She went on about how scandalous this was and how it was going to ruin my life and the whole royal family's. My aunts, recovering from their immediate shock, stepped in and sided with my mother. I felt like crying. They told me that I couldn't keep the baby, and that if I ever told you or my father, that they," Leia paused and closed her eyes, trying to force back her tears and continue the story. She deserves this Kyle thought for never telling me about the baby. "That they would make you and me break up, and they would make me abort the baby. Since I didn't want that, I decided to keep it a secret. My mother informed me that night that you and Bail were delayed on Allister and wouldn't be back for a few weeks. A few nights later, I woke up in pain. Although I don't remember it, I must have screamed because my aunts and my mother rushed into my room and called the medics. They came and took to the med center. I was drugged to lessen the pain and given sleeping pills so that I would go to sleep. When I woke up, my mother solemnly walked in the room and told me that something had gone wrong and that I had lost the baby. I started crying. My mother told me to stop and be brave. I asked her if they had known if the baby was a girl or a boy, and she told me that they couldn't tell at that point in the pregnancy. She said that this was for the best, and now that there was definitely no need to you or father, so I just pushed this out of my mind."  
  
Kyle looked at her with pity. He felt bad for what he had said to her and for blaming her for abandoning their son and never telling him. "They lied, Leia. Your aunts and your mother lied."  
  
"What?" Leia said, looking shocked. "How do you know?  
  
"Because Dack is your son."  
  
TBC  
  
What do you think? 


	3. Kyle's Story

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
I'm not sure I wanna continue this story. Lemme know if you think I should or not! Thanks!  
  
  
  
"That's not possible," Leia said as she rose from her seat, but deep down she knew that he was her son.  
  
"Yes, it is," Kyle said, beginning his part of the story. "About ten years back, I was in the Meridian sector on a planet called Arbac III. The people were trying to overthrow their monarchy, so I went there to try to instill some peace. By the time I had arrived, however, the king and queen had been killed. Their son, though, was believed to be alive somewhere. I found my contact on the planet. He had a boy with him around the age of 19. I didn't know at the time, but this was the crowned prince of Arbac III. We hurried to my ship and blasted off into space. The boy wouldn't talk much at first, but he did tell me that he was the prince. He also told me that he has seen his parents killed and that has haunted him ever since. He traveled with me and Jan after that. People constantly mistaked him for my son. I realized that he did look a lot like me. He told me one day that he was adopted. The only thing that he was told about his birth parents was that they were too young to take care of him and had decided that it was best that he was adopted so the king and queen had taken him in. I knew from the very beginning that he was strong in the force, so I asked him if he would like me to train him. He was hesitant at first, after all he had heard all the stories of the Jedi purge. He finally agreed, though, and his training began. I took him to Dagobah because your brother had once told me that it was strong in the force and was where Yoda had lived. While I was there, I saw Yoda. It was like the way that Luke used to see Ben. Yoda told me that Dack was my son. I didn't believe him at first, but then it all made sense to me. I asked Yoda who the mother was, and he told me to listen to my heart. Then it hit me, I asked him if it was you and he told me it was. After that, Dack and I left Dagobah. He traveled around for awhile and I trained him," Kyle paused for a second.  
  
Leia looked at him with disbelief, and …anger, "Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"I thought you knew and hadn't cared. I figured that if you didn't want him then, why would you want him now? I guess I know that wasn't true now. I was so ready to blame you and yell at you when I got here," Kyle smiled, "I guess that wasn't necessary."  
  
"No," Leia said, hanging her head. "I should have told you that I was pregnant. I deserve whatever you were going to say to me."  
  
"Nah. What I wonder now, though, is what part your mother and aunts played in this."  
  
"They must have given me a mild poison and had the doctor take the baby out of me and put it into a artificial womb. Then, I guess they must have sent him to Arbac III," Leia said, "I can't believe I missed out on the first 30 years of his life! And I though missing out on the first two years of the twins' lives was bad!"  
  
"Well, you can make up for it now," Kyle said, trying to instill some hope in her.  
  
"Yes, but it won't be the same. What if he doesn't want anything to do with me?" Leia said worriedly.  
  
"He will, Leia," Kyle replied as he tried to soothe her. "He's been asking me about you for years."  
  
"What did you tell him? Did you tell him who I was?" Leia asked curiously.  
  
"I didn't tell him who you were but I told him about you. Only your good qualities, though," Kyle said, giving her a wink.  
  
"Like…," Leia said, smiling at him.  
  
"Like how beautiful you were, and still are, might I add," Leia blushed, as he figured she would, "And how smart and funny you were."  
  
"You said that," Leia asked, surprised.  
  
"Yep, I sure did," Kyle replied, smiling at her. "Well, I better be going now, it's getting late. What should I tell Dack?"  
  
"I'd like to be there when you tell him that I'm his mother. How about tomorrow morning? I'll come down to your ship.  
  
"Sounds good. Oh, one last question. Are you going to tell your husband and your daughter?"  
  
Oh, Kreth Leia thought I hadn't even thought about what I was going to tell them! "Yes, of course I will," Leia said, "Why wouldn't I?"  
  
"I don't know. I'll see you later, then," Kyle said, standing up. Leia also stood, and they briefly embraced. "I've missed you, Leia."  
  
Leia smiled, not knowing what to say Had she missed him?, "Me too"  
  
As Kyle turned to go, Leia stopped him, "Kyle, would you like to have dinner with Han and me tomorrow night?"  
  
"Uh…sure. Want Dack to come, too?" Kyle asked.  
  
"Yes, of course. Well, you better be going. Talk to you later. Good night."  
  
"Bye, Leia," Kyle said walking out the door.  
  
TBC…  
  
what's Han going to say? Guess you'll have to wait til next time!!! 


	4. Telling Han

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
  
  
"I'm home," Leia said as she enter and Han and her quarters on Shelter.  
  
"You consider this place home?" Han asked smiling, getting up from his uncomfortable chair to give her a kiss. "How was your day?"  
  
"Ok," Leia replied, a little too quickly, trying to feign cheerfulness. I should be happy, she thought, I've found another son that I never knew I even had!  
  
"What's wrong, sweetheart? Miss me all day? Well, I'm here now." Han said, using humor to cover his worry for her.  
  
"No, why would I miss you?" she said with a straight face. She managed to hold that face for a full three seconds before laughing.  
  
"Ha Ha. You're so funny!" Han said, sarcastically. "Really, Leia, what's wrong?"  
  
By using her real name, Leia knew that he was worried about her, "Han, I have to tell you something. It might be hard for you to hear. Let's sit down"  
  
"It's ok, I love you, Leia. Come on you can tell me," Han replied, pleading with her as they sat down.  
  
"Well, I'm not so sure you will after this," Leia mumbled Well, here goes everything, Leia thought. "I have a son."  
  
"Uh…ya, Leia, so do I," Han said looking at her funny.  
  
"No, I mean another son. A son I never knew about until today," Leia said, gauging Han's reaction. His mouth dropped open, and he stood up and started pacing.  
  
"When did you have this son? How could you not have known about him?" Han exclaimed anxiously. Had Leia cheated on him? He didn't think so, but nothing was certain anymore, not after Chewie's death. The pain had lessened over time, but Han still missed Chewie and probably always would.  
  
"It was a long time ago…I was young, naive, and…" Leia paused. Her eyes got a far away look in them. "In love. I remember the day I first met Kyle…"  
  
TBC  
  
The next update is coming soon, and it will be a flashback. 


	5. Beginning of Leia's Flashback

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.  
  
This is more of Leia's flashback  
  
  
  
It was a warm summer day on Alderaan. Leia was sitting on a bench in the garden behind the palace reading a book. All of a sudden she heard someone come up behind her. She jumped up and whirled around. 'Wha…What do you want?' Leia stuttered, startled.  
  
'I need to speak to Viceroy Organa' the young man said to her. He couldn't be anymore than twenty. He's so handsome Leia thought, recovering from her earlier scare.  
  
'You should have called ahead like every other person does. Just because you got over the gate and past the guards doesn't mean you get special treatment. I think I'll be calling the guards now' she reached for her commlink on the bench.  
  
'No, wait,' Kyle said, grabbling the commlink before Leia could get to it. Leia was about to yell when he said, 'I'm not going to harm the royal family. I just need to speak with the Viceroy. I know how backed up with appointments he is, but I'm a…a friend of the family'  
  
'Oh yeah? Who are you?' Leia asked.  
  
'You wouldn't know me. Only members of the royal family do.' Kyle said, I've got her there, he thought.  
  
Leia almost laughed, but she restrained herself He doesn't know I'm the princess, she thought. Leia decided to play along.  
  
'I know all of their friends. I'm around here a lot actually.' Leia replied, 'What's your name? If I know you, I'll let you go. If I don't, I'll scream for the guards. Deal?'  
  
'My name is Katarn, Kyle Katarn. The Viceroy knows, I mean, knew my father. He died last year,' Kyle said with a look of grief.  
  
'I'm sorry,' Leia whispered. 'I recognize Katarn. I'll leave a message for my f…I mean the viceroy. He won't be back until around suppertime. Would you like to stay in the palace?'  
  
'Sure, if it's not a big inconvenience,' Kyle replied, looking around the garden. He remembered it from when he was here once when he was four. It was as beautiful as ever.  
  
'Right this way, Mr. Katarn,' Leia said, leading him into the palace.  
  
'Call me Kyle please,' he replied, 'What should I call you?'  
  
'What would you like to call me?' Leia asked. She couldn't think of a name for him to call her.  
  
'How's Beautiful sound?' Kyle said, pouring on the charm. What harm could a little flirting do?  
  
'It's not much of a name, but it'll do for now,' Leia smiled, 'Here's your room. I'll tell the Vicereine you're here. She might want you to join the her, the princess, and the viceroy for supper.'  
  
'Ok, thank you. Will I see you again,' Kyle asked.  
  
'Yes, and sooner than you think,' Leia replied, with a wink and then she pivoted on her heel and left Kyle staring after her.  
  
TBC  
  
Did ya like it? I hope so! More is coming soon!!!! It's a continuation of the flashback! 


	6. Continuation of Leia's Flashback

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 (  
  
This is more of the flashback! Enjoy!! R/R!  
  
Kyle tugged at his sleeve nervously as a servant led him to the dinning hall inside the royal palace. He had hoped that the girl he had met earlier in the day would lead him to the dining hall, but a man had come to take him there instead.  
  
Kyle nearly stopped dead in his tracks when he entered the dining hall. At the table sat Viceroy Bail Organa, and his wife the Viceriene, and…the girl he had met earlier today. She's the princess? He thought Oh man am I am idiot!  
  
The Viceroy broke Kyle out of his reverie. 'How've you been Kyle? I'm so sorry to hear about your father's death.'  
  
'Thank you, Viceroy,' Kyle replied politely, as he sat down in the only empty seat, which was across from the princess. The Viceroy and the Viceriene were on either side.  
  
'It's nice to see you again, Kyle,' the Viceriene said, smiling at Kyle, 'What were you four the last time we saw you? That was right before Leia was born, I believe.'  
  
So that's her name thought Kyle it fits her perfectly. Kyle thought she looked absolutely stunning in the light blue dress that she was wearing. She looked a lot more princess-like now he realized.  
  
'Leia indicated that there was a certain reason that you came here. Can you tell it to us now, or would you like to tell me in private?' asked Bail. Looking from Leia to Kyle who were practically staring at each other.  
  
'Uh…I'd kind of like to talk to you in private if you don't mind,' Kyle replied, ripping his eyes off of Leia to look at the Viceroy.  
  
'That's fine. How about after supper?' asked the Viceroy.  
  
'Sounds good to me,' Kyle replied turning his attention to his food.  
  
'Leia, darling, have you decided on the dress you want to wear to your 16th birthday party next week?' the Viceriene asked her daughter.  
  
'No, mother. I've been a little busy lately to worry about trivial things like that. I don't' see why I must have a party anyway. I'd much rather do something with a few of my friends than have a party with a bunch of people I don't know,' Leia replied, coolly.  
  
'It's tradition, Leia. Besides, you need to start thinking about marriage. Your father and I got married when I was sixteen. There will be some very nice looking young princes at the party that I think you should consider,' said the Viceriene.  
  
'I'm not ready to get married, mother. How many times have I told you that? I'd rather wait until I'm a little older and in love than marry now for wealth and status, two things that I couldn't care less about,' Leia replied, barely controlling her anger, 'May I be excused, father?'  
  
'Yes, dear,' her father said, and with that Leia got up and left.  
  
Dinner continued without incident and without conversation, for that matter.  
  
TBC  
  
More coming 


	7. Han's Response

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.  
  
"Are you gonna get to how you got pregnant anytime this year?" Han asked Leia jokingly, trying to hide his discomfort and a little bit of sadness. He knew Leia had been with other men, but still, he was a little surprised & well…jealous!  
  
Leia replied with sarcasm dripping from her words, "No, probably sometime next year. Just be patient, Han. All of this is leading up to the pregnancy. Sorry to bore you."  
  
"You've never bored me. You've annoyed, yelled at, ignored, and were altogether mean to me, but you've never bored me,' Han replied with that lopsided grin that he knew drove her mad.  
  
"You're insufferable," Leia replied and rolled her eyes. "Shall I continue now?"  
  
"No not yet," Han replied, pulling her onto his lap and giving her a kiss, "Now, by all means continue."  
  
Leia smiled and wondered how lucky she was to have Han in her life, "Ok now where was I...Oh yeah…now I remember…"  
  
TBC…more of the flashback  
  
Lemme know what ya think! I absolutely love responses! ( 


	8. More of the Flashback

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
  
  
After she left dinner, Leia went up to her room. Kyle followed the Viceroy into his study. 'So what was it that you needed to talk to me about?'  
  
'I wanted to ask you for a position in the Rebellion,' Kyle replied, looking Organa straight in the eye.  
  
'I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about,' said the Viceroy. 'Anyway. I thought you had joined the Imperials.'  
  
'I did, but when I found that they killed my father I left. I want to help the Rebellion now, to make sure what happened to my father never happens to anyone else,' Kyle replied, pleadingly.  
  
'I see,' Bail replied, 'I seem to remember about a certain Rebellion now.' He winked at Kyle and continued. 'What is it that you would like to do? I can't see you wanting to stay on a base. You seem to crave adventure too much for that.'  
  
'That's true,' Kyle replied. 'Besides, I could endanger the base. Although I don't know how to use my Force powers very well, Vader still might be able to sense me. I can block pretty well, but you never know'  
  
'Yes, I hadn't thought of that. Perhaps the best thing you could do is go on undercover missions to get more sympathy for the Rebellion and establish resistance cells on planets that don't have them,' the Viceroy replied, gauging Kyle's reaction.  
  
'I'd like that very much,' Kyle said, 'Let me know what you would like me to do.'  
  
'Ok, that sounds good,' Bail replied. They then heard a soft knock at the door. 'Come in,' Bail said. Leia walked through the door. 'Sorry, to interrupt you, but I need to get those data cards you promised, father,'  
  
'Here they are right here, Leia,' Bail responded, handing her the cards.  
  
'Thanks, father, good night,' Leia said to the Viceroy and then she turned to Kyle, 'Good night to you too, Kyle.'  
  
'Good night, Princess,' Kyle said, watching her as she left. Bail watched them both with a rather secretive smile on his lips. This may prove to be very interesting Bail thought very interesting indeed!  
  
TBC  
  
Hope you liked it! Any comments are appreciated! 


	9. Even More of the Flashback

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.  
  
The next couple of days passed quickly for Leia. She picked out her dress and almost everything was ready for the party. She had been spending more and more time with Kyle lately. Both of them had yet to admit their growing feelings for the other, so they remained just friends.  
  
It was finally the day before the party. Leia had mixed feelings about it. She didn't really want to go, but it might be a little fun, as long as Kyle went. Leia was thinking all these things over in the garden while Kyle was busy sneaking up behind her. All of a sudden she felt hands on her shoulders. She jumped.  
  
'Thinking about me?' Kyle asked, obviously pleased with himself for catching her so off guard.  
  
'No,' Leia replied indignantly, 'I have better things to think about.' She stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
Kyle just winked and walked away. Leia ran to catch up with him, 'Are you coming to my party tomorrow?'  
  
'Do you want me to?' Kyle asked wonderingly.  
  
'Yes,' Leia replied earnestly. He might be the only one to save her from boredom there.  
  
'Ok, I'll see you there then,' Kyle said smiling. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek and then strode away.  
  
Leia just stood there, too shocked to move, and smiled at his back as he entered the palace.  
  
TBC…the party & the first time ( 


	10. First Kiss

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
The next morning passed quickly for Leia. The Royal Palace was bustling with activity as servants rushed from one room to the other, trying to make the final preparations before the big party. Leia, on the other hand, just sat in her room until it was time for her to get ready for the party, five hours before it began. To Leia, it seemed like it took the servants forever to get her ready. Who really cares, she thought. She sure didn't. The only person she kind of wanted to impress was Kyle, but she wasn't sure quite why. Afterall, they couldn't be anything more than friends, could they? Leia couldn't explain why, but she had a feeling everything would change that night. And change it did!  
  
It was finally the time of the party. Leia walked into the spectacular ballroom on the arm of her father. She glanced around the room and saw her mother and aunts, who were smiling and looked as though they would burst into tears any moment. Leia also noticed a few other familiar faces, mainly dignitaries and diplomats that were friends of her father. She saw a few men and women that she figured to be kings and queens from various planets. She also saw a few young men her age, who looked snooty and definitely not her type. Then her eyes fell on Kyle. He looked more handsome than ever in his dress uniform she noticed. She smiled at her, and she wasn't sure, but she thought she saw him wink at her.  
  
Bail had the first dance with his daughter, but after that, Leia's aunts wasted no time introducing her to princes and well-to-do young men. To be polite, she had to dance with every one of them. It was about two hours into the party before Kyle could get near enough to talk to her. Leia was just finishing dancing with the prince of Vertiales when he came up behind her.  
  
'Would you like to dance, Your Excellency?' Kyle asked, giving a slight bow.  
  
'I suppose,' Leia responded, smiling that dazzling smile of hers. Everyone watched as Kyle led her out onto the dance floor. Leia's aunts and mother didn't approve, not by a long shot, but her father thought Kyle was just what she needed. Kyle could handle her temper and wouldn't bend under her demands. Bail was also quite sure that he already loved her and probably always would. Yes, he thought, he's just what she needs.  
  
Later that evening, Kyle found Leia on the balcony outside of the ballroom. 'Shouldn't you be inside?' Kyle asked, teasingly, 'after all, isn't it your party.'  
  
'I just needed a breath a fresh air,' Leia replied, 'it's kind of warm and stuffy in there.'  
  
'Yes, it is,' Kyle replied, moving closer to her. He's going to kiss me, Leia thought, as his lips descended upon hers. Kyle thought at first that Leia would pull away, but she didn't. When they finally came up for air, Leia whispered, so no one would hear her, 'We need to talk about this. Come to my room tonight.'  
  
TBC… 


	11. Flaskback: Sneaking out of the party

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
  
  
The rest of the party passed by too slowly for Leia's liking. All she wanted to do was go back to her room and talk with Kyle. Well maybe not JUST to talk, she thought with a snicker.  
  
Will this party ever end? Kyle thought as the remaining hours seemed to drag on and on. Finally, it was time for the last dance of the night. Kyle looked all around for Leia. He hadn't seen her since they were out on the balcony hours earlier. He finally spotted her on the arm of some handsome prince from some system that Kyle had never heard of. Kyle felt some emotion deep down flair up. He was surprised at how jealous he was. After all, he knew how Leia felt about the party and all the airheaded princes there. There was no way she felt anything for this prince at all. She was obviously just being polite because he asked her to dance first. Kyle knew all of these things, but he still couldn't help feeling jealous.  
  
As the prince spun her around, Leia was looking for Kyle. Where is he? She thought. Did he leave because I'm dancing with Prince whatever-his-name-is? She hoped not. She finally saw him standing against the back wall of the banquet hall and staring into space. Leia tried to get his attention.  
  
The second Kyle felt Leia's eyes on him, he looked up. He saw looking from him and then to the door and back again. It took him a minute, but he finally realized that she wanted him to sneak out and wait for her up at her room. He quietly snuck out of the room, unnoticed by all but Bail Organa.  
  
TBC… 


	12. Han's response

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
  
  
'This party was wonderful,' Bail thought. 'Nothing went wrong, like at Rouge's party.' Rouge was one of Leia's aunts and Bail's sister. The infamous event of Rouge's 16th birthday party that Bail was thinking of was a real disaster. Bail quickly shut that catastrophe out of his mind, deciding to dwell on better things.  
  
It was at that moment that he saw Leia's eyes motioning at someone towards the door. She was dancing her last dance with a prince from one of the outer rim sector planets. Bail followed Leia's eyes and saw her looking at Katarn. 'What's going on?' Bail thought. Then he saw Kyle inching towards the grand doors that were the only known exit out of the banquet hall. And Bail knew without a doubt of where Kyle was going. Viceroy Organa knew exactly what he needed to do.  
  
**************  
  
"Did he catch you? What did he say?" Han asked when Leia paused for a moment.  
  
"Patience is a virtue that you obviously don't possess," she replied, not answering his question.  
  
"Ya, Ya, Ya, I've heard that one before. Now that we know what virtues I lack, wanna talk about the one's I have," Han asked with that lopsided grin of his.  
  
"Boy, do you have a short attention span!"  
  
"Enough with the bad virtues. Continue on with the story already. It's getting good," Han said, once again trying to hide his jealously, but Leia saw it. She admitted to herself that she would be jealous if Han had a kid that she didn't know about, so she made a mental note to make things up to him later.  
  
"Hold on. I need to get some water. I'm parched! Story telling takes a lot out of you," Leia said, rising and walking to the kitchen area. She opened the refrigeration unit and called back into the lounge, "You want something?"  
  
"Nah. We'll go down to the mess hall later and get something nasty to eat," Han replied. He usually was always hungry, but lately, he hadn't had much of an appetite. And, he admitted, it wasn't just because of the horrible food. The menu of late reminded him of the one they had had during the Rebellion, which consisted of mainly ration bars and synthetic or dried meat that should have been thrown out years ago. Han hadn't felt like eating much lately mainly because of the grief of missing Anakin, Jacen, and even still from missing Chewie. That combined with Leia's news was enough to make him never want to touch food again. He always made sure to eat, though, to keep up his energy and if for nothing else, to make Leia eat. She had been getting thinner by the day it seemed, and she had started out thin enough. Leia still wasn't eating much, but she was getting better about not skipping meals as frequently as she had right after Anakin's death and Jacen's disappearance.  
  
"Ok," Leia replied, "back to the story." Han had been so lost in his thoughts that he jumped when Leia sat down next to him on what passed for a couch again.  
  
"What is it?' she asked when he jumped.  
  
"Oh, just thinking," Han replied, still somewhat in his own lala land.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You might hurt your head," Leia joked, trying to lighten the mood.  
  
"Ha Ha, very funny, Leia. Now, if ya don't mind, get back to the story!" Han exclaimed.  
  
"Alright, alright already. No need to get worked up about it," Leia replied.  
  
"I'm not worked up!" Han said, trying to defend himself.  
  
"Whatever you say!" Leia replied, giving him a devious look that showed Han that she knew of his jealousy and unease. Han gave her a look back that said that it was ok and that they would get through this together. Leia silently thanked him and kissed him quickly on the cheek before continuing on with her tale from the past….  
  
TBC  
  
Lemme know what ya think! 


	13. Bail's talk w/Leia

After Leia finished dancing with the prince, the party died down quite rapidly. Guests began leaving, and all wanted to say good bye to the princess first, so Leia had a hard time slipping out. When she finally did though, her father followed her out of the banquet hall and into the corridor.  
  
'Can I have a word with you, Leia,' Bail asked, startling Leia, who thought she was all alone in the corridor.  
  
'Yes, of course father. Did I do something wrong?' she asked, putting on her look of innocence.  
  
'No, dear, but I need to talk to you about something in my study for a moment,' Bail replied, indicating that she proceed him into the study. Leia sat down at a table in the study, and Bail sat down across from her. Bail studied her for a moment, and decided the blunt approach at the situation would be best. 'Leia, I saw Kyle leave the party. Where did he go?'  
  
'How should I know?' Leia replied defensively. There was no way she was going to tell her father where Kyle went. 'I'm not his mother.'  
  
'Leia, I saw you motioning him to the door. He went up to your room, didn't he?' Bail asked Leia. Leia thought she might as well be honest, now that he knew.  
  
'Yes,' she replied, looking down and suddenly ashamed. Not about Kyle being there but rather that her father knew and would probably stop whatever might happen between Kyle and her.  
  
'I didn't know you were involved, how should I put this, romantically,' Bail said, looking at Leia.  
  
'We weren't. Not until tonight anyway. Everything just changed.' Leia replied, looking around the room at everything except her father.  
  
'What do you plan to do up in your room?' Bail asked although he knew full well what would happen whether or not Leia intended it to.  
  
'We need to talk about this first,' Leia replied.  
  
'And then?' Bail asked, waiting for her to say the inevitable.  
  
'I…I don't know,' Leia said, looking down at her hands.  
  
'I think you do,' Bail replied.  
  
'I guess I do,' Leia said.  
  
'I only have one problem with this. I'm afraid that you're going to get hurt,' Bail told his daughter.  
  
'I'm not going to get hurt, father. Kyle wouldn't do anything to hurt me,' Leia said, naively.  
  
'You don't know that, Leia. I don't think he would do it purposely if he did. Now, please let me finish. Don't get too caught up in your emotions to realize what's going on around you. And I want you to remember a couple of things. First, and foremost, tomorrow morning go the med center and ask for some morning after tablets. Pregnancy now would be problem for both you and Kyle and would be a huge scandal. Secondly, don't get caught. Make sure he's out of your room before six each morning because as you know, that's when your mother and aunts come in to wake you. Don't tell any of them, not even your aunt Tia what's going on because you know they would never approve of Kyle and would only cause trouble for the both of you. Thirdly, don't let this relationship get in the way of your duty to Alderaan as princess and my heir. And lastly, be careful. I don't think he would do this, but make sure he's not playing you or using you. Let him reveal how he feels about you before you say anything. And remember, I love you and I don't want you to get hurt,' Bail preached to Leia.  
  
'I love you, too, and thanks for understanding,' Leia told him as she got up and kissed him on the cheek. 'Good night, father,' Leia said as she left his study.  
  
'Good night, Leia,' Bail said as the door closed behind his daughter. 'She's going to get hurt,' he predicted. He didn't know how right he was.  
  
  
  
  
  
****************  
  
TBC…what do you think??? 


	14. The First Night

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
'Are you here, Kyle?' Leia asked as she entered her rooms.  
  
'Yep. What kept you? I was about to fall asleep,' Kyle said from his spot on one of Leia's couches. He was all sprawled out with the top buttons of his dress uniform unbuttoned and his shoes off.  
  
'I see you've made yourself right at home,' Leia said, avoiding his question.  
  
'Hope you don't mind,' Kyle said, rather nervously, Leia thought.  
  
'Nope, it's okay. Want something to drink or eat?' Leia said walking over to the kitchen unit.  
  
'I'm fine, thank you. So let's talk about our…uh for lack of a better word…condition,' Kyle said as Leia seated herself on a chair opposite him.  
  
'Ok, sounds good,' Leia agreed.  
  
'Alright, I'll go first. I've never really been in a very serious relationship before and I'm not sure if I want that right now, but I do know that your too special to just have a fling with, and well, I really care about you,' Kyle said, suprising both Leia and himself with his burst of emotion.  
  
'I feel the same way, I think we should just try this out for awhile and see how it works for us. Maybe then we might want something a little more lasting and permanent. How does that sound?' Leia asked Kyle. He considered Leia's words for a moment and then said, 'I agree, we'll just see how it goes and take it from there. Come sit over here.'  
  
Leia got up and sat down next to Kyle, 'Now let's talk about something else. How far do you want this to go uhh…physically.'  
  
'I'm not sure,' Leia said as Kyle scooted closer and closer to her, 'What do you think?'  
  
'All the way,' he said as he leaned in and kissed her. He lifted her from the couch and carried her to her bed…  
  
********  
  
  
  
1 TBC…even SW characters need their privacy…hehe 


	15. End of the Flashback

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
When Leia woke up the next morning, Kyle was already gone. Does he regrets this? she   
thought Why didn't he wait until I got up to leave?  
  
Leia got out of bed and got ready to go down to breakfast. She figured she would   
confront Kyle about this later, hopefully after breakfast. She didn't think she would be   
able to think about anything else that day if things didn't get cleared up.   
  
********  
"Okay, enough of this," Han said, jumping up off the couch. "I can't listen to this   
anymore. I know that eventually Kyle gets you pregnant and leaves Alderaan. I'd rather   
talk about what you plan to do now."  
  
"Alright, fine," Leia replied, pretending to be mildly angry. She wasn't, though. She   
was happy that she didn't have to finish telling the story because Kyle's leaving still hurt   
after all this time. "What do you suggest I do then?"  
  
"You mean what WE do," Han replied, pointing to the both of them. "This effects me,   
too, ya know, Leia. What ever you decide to do is gonna change things because I can't   
see you not wanting a part in your child's life. And just think about Jaina's response to   
all of this."  
  
Leia visibly flinched when Han brought up their daughter. The two Solo women were   
beginning to become closer, but the news that Leia would have to tell her daughter could   
easily severe their relationship forever. "I'm not sure how she's gonna respond, but I'd   
rather tell her before we have dinner with Kyle and Dack tomorrow night. I don't want   
her making a big scene in front of either of them, especially Dack. I want him to feel   
welcomed, and Jaina's lack of hospitality won't help."  
  
"Ya, that's probably the best idea. Does Dack know yet?" Han asked.  
  
"No, I'm supposed to go down to Kyle's ship tomorrow morning, and we're going to tell   
him," Leia responded.  
  
"Oh, okay. Well, where do you want to eat? I'm starved," Han said, trying to change the   
subject.  
  
"Hmmm…let me consider our choices. The mess hall or the mess hall. Which sounds   
good to you?" Leia replied with sarcasm dripping from her words.  
  
"How about the mess hall?" Han asked. Leia rolled her eyes.  
  
"Jaina will be back in about 10 minutes from her squadron formation practice. Let's wait   
for her. Tonight would be a good time to tell her about…well you know," Leia said,   
getting up. "Besides I need to get myself looking a little more presentable."  
  
She went over to the side table next to her and Han's bed to retrieve her brush. Doing her   
hair nowadays didn't take very long at all, considering it was only about shoulder length.   
Leia put it up into a ponytail and then she put a little makeup on, mainly just to cover up   
the black circles under eyes, caused from lack of sleep. If she wasn't up until the wee   
hours of the morning planning ways to end the Yuuzang Vong's conquest of the galaxy,   
then she was plagued with nightmares concerning her family or reliving the destruction   
of Alderaan. Or worst of all, she dreamt of the good times in the past with her immediate   
family, which now was missing 2/5 of its members. And if she wasn't having bad   
dreams than Han was. Life was a vicious, confusing circle for Leia Organa Solo, and it   
had suddenly got even more complicated. Why did Kyle have to wait this long to tell me I   
had a son? Right at the exact time that I'm not so sure I can handle it. Leia thought,   
absolutely positive that the whole galaxy was out to get her. 


	16. Telling Jaina

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
"Hi," Jaina said as she entered her parents' quarters. "How were your days?"  
  
"My, someone's in a good mood," Leia said with a smile, and avoiding Jaina's question.  
  
"Yeah, I am! The evasive maneuvers and formations the squadron practiced today turned out great," Jaina said, sitting down on the couch. "Are we going down to the mess hall? I'm starving!"  
  
"Ya, we were just waiting for you to get back, so let's go," Han said. "Although I don't know how starving you will be once you see what we're having."  
  
Jaina gave a small laugh an proceeded her parents out the door. That was her dad for her. Always grumbling at how bad the food was. At least, it is food, though, Jaina thought, the only thing the refugees have are ration bars.  
  
*********** Later that evening, the three Solos arrived back at Han and Leia's quarters. Jaina had her own because she was of age, and she wanted her parents to have their space. She figured they still had some things to settle concerning their estrangement and she thought it was best if they had the privacy to do so.  
  
"So are you and mom planning on heading out tomorrow to capture some more of the ships that are supplying the Vong?" Jaina asked her father as her mother checked to see if they had gotten any messages while they had been absent from their quarters.  
  
"No, I don't think we're going to go for a week or so. Wedge asked us to attend a few of those briefings next week, and your mother has something she has to.uh.settle," Han replied, not sure how to say the last part.  
  
Upon hearing her husband's last words, Leia looked up from a report sent to her while they were eating. She glared slightly at her husband, not wanting to talk about this right now with Jaina. They had been having such a good time tonight and she rarely had but a few minutes to spend with her daughter.  
  
Jaina, having seen the look her mother gave her father, looked questioningly at her mother and asked, "What's going on?"  
  
"Well, I was planning on waiting until a little later to tell you something, but I guess I mind as well now, since your father brought up," Leia said, with another glare at her husband. He raised his hands, trying to look innocent, and put on his best 'I didn't do anything' face. Leia just ignored him.  
  
"You have a half brother," Leia said.  
  
"I have a what!" Jaina exclaimed, not expecting this at all. She figured Prince Isolder had asked her to marry her again or something like that, but never this. 'Why didn't she tell me this before?' Jaina wondered. 


	17. Telling Jaina More

Disclaimer: Chapter 1  
  
Jaina just stared, slightly angrily, at her mother. "Why didn't you ever tell me this?"  
  
"I didn't know," Leia replied truthfully.  
  
"How couldn't you know? Wouldn't you know if you give birth to a child?" Jaina said, getting more and more angry. "It wasn't that simple, Jaina," Leia proceeded by telling Jaina what she had earlier told Kyle.  
  
"So how do you know about this child now?" Jaina asked.  
  
"His biological father brought him here today," Leia replied.  
  
"But how did he find him?" Jaina asked.  
  
"He ran into him on a planet," Leia replied, and told Jaina about that part of the story, too.  
  
"So who is the father?" Jaina asked. "Do I know him?"  
  
"You know of him," Leia answered, "his name is Kyle Katarn."  
  
"I didn't know you two were involved at one time," Jaina said.  
  
"There's a lot of things that you don't know, and besides, it was a long time ago."  
  
"How long?" Jaina asked, not letting up on her mother. She decided she was going to make her mother suffer for this.  
  
"I was 16," Leia replied, suddenly interested in her hands.  
  
"Sixteen!" Jaina exclaimed. Han also looked surprised. He couldn't believe this whole situation, much less his wife's age at the time. "That would make your son about 30."  
  
"Yes, it would," Leia replied.  
  
"Does he have a family of his own?" Jaina asked, with slight interest.  
  
"I'm not sure," Leia asked. "Kyle and I are going to tell him his parentage and what happened tomorrow morning and we're having dinner with them tomorrow night. I guess we can find out then." I might be a grandmother! Leia thought, not sure if she was pleased with the thought or not.  
  
The three of them talked about this for awhile, and Han could feel the gap falling back into place between mother and daughter. He figured this would either bring them closer together or tear them apart. It was beginning to look like the latter would be the outcome of the situation. 


	18. Telling Dack

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
************  
  
When morning finally came, Leia headed down to the Moldy Crow. She saw that the ramp was already down, and as she drew closer to the ship, she noticed Kyle was fixing something.  
  
"I'll be right with you, Leia," Kyle told Leia, as he sensed her approaching his ship.  
  
"Alright," Leia replied. She sat down on a crate near where Kyle was working and observed the ship. It had seen better days, but appeared to still be in good repair. Just like the captain, Leia thought. She realized the Kyle hadn't changed much. Sure his hair was beginning to gray and his face had more lines than she remembered, but the last time she had seen him was on some program on the holonet about behind-the-scenes rebels or something like that some ten years ago.  
  
"You look light years away. What were you thinking about?" Kyle asked, standing before Leia and breaking her out of her reverie.  
  
"Old times," Leia gave a slight smile after the half-truth.  
  
"They were so much easier weren't they?" Kyle asked.  
  
"Yes, they seem so now anyway, but at the time, they seemed like the hardest things in the galaxy," Leia replied wistfully. As general as the statement was, Kyle knew exactly what Leia was talking about. His leaving her must have been hard for her to get over. To that day, leaving Alderaan the way he had was probably the thing he regretted most, and if he could have, he would have gone back and changed it. But he couldn't.  
  
Silence was wrapped around them for a few moments like a blanket wrapped around a small child. Kyle was the first to break it. "Well, we probably ought to go talk to Dack now. This way, Leia."  
  
Leia followed Kyle up the boarding ramp and into the main lounge, "Wait here and make yourself comfortable. I'll go find Dack," and with that, Kyle left the lounge and headed down a corridor. Leia sat down on a form- conforming chair. In a few minutes Kyle reappeared with Dack. They both sat down in chairs opposite Leia. "Hello, Dack. How are you this morning?" Leia asked pleasantly.  
  
"I'm fine," Dack replied politely.  
  
"Dack, there's something that we need to tell you," Kyle said, never one for small talk. "Remember a long time ago when you asked about your mother and I told you she died?"  
  
"Yeah," Dack said, "And I knew you were lying, but didn't say anything?"  
  
"Yes, that's the time. Well, I thought now would be as good a time as any for you two to meet. Dack, this is your mother." Kyle said, indicating Leia, who smiled.  
  
"I thought something felt familiar about you when you met us here yesterday," Dack replied, masking his feelings completely, both facially and through the force.  
  
"I felt the same way, although I couldn't." Leia got cut off as her comlink beeped for her attention. "Excuse me a moment,"  
  
Leia stepped out of the room into the corridor for a moment and answered the call. "Organa Solo."  
  
"Leia, I need you and Han down at the command center right now," it was Wedge. "We just found out something about the Vong that I think you and Han ought to know."  
  
"Ok, I'll be right there. Organa Solo out," Leia answered, switching off the line and punching in Han's code. She told him what Wedge had said and that she'd meet him there.  
  
***********  
  
"There she goes, walking out on us again," Dack said with a sigh, as Leia left the lounge.  
  
"You don't understand it all, Dack," Kyle replied, standing up for Leia. "We'll explain the whole thing when she gets back."  
  
"If you say so," Dack mumbled, "but if she didn't want me then, why doesn't she want me now?"  
  
"It wasn't all her fault," Kyle replied. "Just listen to what she has to say before you judge her and decided if you want her in you life or not.and your family's life."  
  
**************  
  
TBC. 


	19. Jacen, alive?

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
"I'm sorry, I have to go," Leia said, rushing back in the room, "I'm needed down at the command center. I'll come back as soon as I can. Sorry."  
  
She turned and hurried down the ramp and into the hangar.  
  
"I don't want to hear what she has to say, dad," Dack said. "I thought I wanted to meet my mother, but now I'm not so sure it was a good idea. Besides, I promised Gilara I'd be back for her birthday."  
  
"I'm sure your daughter will understand, especially if you bring her grandmother home with you," Kyle replied.  
  
"But what makes you think the Princess will come? She is fighting a war, you know," Dack said, trying to persuade his dad to take him back home.  
  
"I think she'll go, if you ask her," Kyle said, "After all, she's just lost two of her sons, and I know she feels the need to spend as much time with her family as possible because with war comes uncertainty and a lot of death. And you and your family is part of her family. She would never turn her back on you, I know she wouldn't."  
  
"With war also comes change, dad," Dack said. "War can change a person for the better.or for the worse." And with that he left the lounge and Kyle behind. "What did you need to tell us, Wedge?" Han asked, as he entered the command center with Jaina on his heels.  
  
"Let's wait til Leia gets here," Wedge said. At few moments later Leia walked through the door.  
  
"Ok, you're all here now," Wedge said, walking to a computer terminal near the side of the room. "We intercepted this message that was supposedly sent out from one of our spies on Coruscant. Here, I'll play it for you."  
  
A young man, probably in his mid twenties, came onto the screen. "I'm not sure how much longer I can remain anonymous, but I've found out something very important that the Jedi need to know. The Vong have a creature that's quite similar to ysalmari, but it's different in several ways. This creature is a lot larger and harder to destroy, and although it keeps Jedi from sending and receiving messages through the force like a ysalmari, this creature doesn't keep the Jedi from using the force, in fact, it improves their performance. Many of these have arrived on Coruscant recently and I believe that the Vong are holding a Jedi, but who, I'm not sure. I would advise that."  
  
Static covered the screen and a scream was heard and then the transmission ended. "Well there goes our spy," Han muttered. Leia was still looking at the screen with a terrified expression on her face, which Jaina mirrored exactly. He knew they weren't scared for themselves, but for whomever the Jedi was that the Vong captured.  
  
Leia looked over at Jaina and they shared a look. They both knew exactly whom the Vong were holding. Jacen.  
  
***********  
  
"It's Jacen," Leia finally said, "They have Jacen."  
  
"How can you be sure?" Wedge asked.  
  
"It makes since," Leia said, "I didn't feel him die and neither did Jaina. And since that creature blocks Jedi from sending or receiving messages, he couldn't tell us that he was alive and we couldn't reach him ourselves."  
  
"Ok, let's say that this is Jacen. What do you plan on doing?" Wedge asked.  
  
"We don't know that he's on Coruscant," Leia replied. "The arrival of all those creatures on Coruscant doesn't mean he or any other Jedi is there, for that matter. It could just be a trick. The Vong could have Jacen on any one of the worlds they've captured and we wouldn't be the wiser. So, as much as I hate it, there isn't a thing we can do right now. We just have to wait until we have more evidence as to where he is. But I do believe that one of those creatures is the reason we can't feel Jacen."  
  
"I agree," Jaina piped up, "I really want to find Jacen, too, but it'd just be a waste of time and lives to look for him now without knowing exactly where he is." "And what do you think, Han?" Wedge asked. Han had listened quietly the entire time, which showed just how much this was effecting him.  
  
"I really hate sitting here and doing nothing, but Leia and Jaina are right: there's nothing we can do until we know more," Han replied, dejectedly.  
  
"So it's agreed then, we won't do anything til we know more," Wedge said. Everyone nodded their heads.  
  
"Luke and Mara should be back from their research mission tomorrow. Maybe they'll know more," Leia said.  
  
"Ok, meeting adjourned until then," Wedge said, trying his best to sound professional and in charge, but everyone just laughed at him. Leave it to Wedge to lighten the mood.  
  
*************  
  
TBC.lemme know what ya think! Please?! 


	20. Back to Dack

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
  
  
*************  
  
"This is going to be so hard," Leia said to Han and Jaina as they exited the command center. "Just sitting here waiting and doing absolutely nothing."  
  
"Yes, it is," Jaina replied, "at least we know he's most likely alive."  
  
Han just walked along in quiet contemplation. He could hardly believe what he had just heard. Jacen was alive. Sure, Leia had believed that all along and he had, too, at first, but after awhile it had seemed as though Jacen was dead. They hadn't heard anything that would discourage that depressing line of thought. But now someone had found new information! The galaxy suddenly looked like a slightly brighter place for Han Solo.  
  
"You're awfully quite, Han," Leia said looking up at him.  
  
"Just thinking." He replied.  
  
"Well, stop. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself," she said, jokingly.  
  
Han smiled back and said, "Why? At all those stupid diplomatic functions you'd step on my feet if I said one thing you didn't like. That, or you'd elbow me. And now, all of a sudden, you're concerned about my health?"  
  
"Well, you're not as young as you used to be. Something might actually get damaged permanently," Leia said with a smile, "now, if you'll excuse me I need to finish a meeting that was interrupted by this partially good news."  
  
**********  
  
"What was that all about?" Kyle asked, as Leia reboarded his ship.  
  
"Someone sent us some information about a creature that may be keeping Jacen hidden," Leia replied. "I guess you ought to know about it, considering you're a Jedi Master." Leia proceeded by telling him about the creatures, the spy's theory on them, and her own.  
  
"So are you going to Coruscant to look for your son?" Kyle asked, realizing how suicidal that might be, but knowing Leia, she just might do it.  
  
"No," Leia hung her head slightly. "I'm not even sure he's on Coruscant. It may just be a trap. And even if he is there, how would I get him out of there? I'm not afraid to die, but I don't want the Vong capturing me and studying me for a way to bring down the Jedi once and for all. If they figure that out, it would be the end of this war and the Jedi. So I can basically do nothing until we have more information."  
  
"Well, you can talk with your other son," Kyle said, "and get to know him. I wouldn't call that nothing."  
  
"That wasn't what I meant, Kyle," Leia said with a small sigh, "and you know it. I would love to get to know him."  
  
"Okay," Kyle replied, "I'll go get him then."  
  
  
  
***********  
  
  
  
Dack had been listening to the entire conversation behind the door. So her son might be alive? He was happy for her, he really was, but he wondered just how much more this would keep them from getting to know each other. He wasn't even sure he wanted to know her anymore, after all she had abandoned him for the first 30 years of his life, why should she care now?  
  
Dack heard his father say he was coming to find him, so he stepped away from the door and pretended he was fixing something in the galley.  
  
"Dack, your mother's back," Kyle said, liking the sound of that. "So please come back into the lounge."  
  
"Alright," he said. He found himself stopping what he was doing and following his father back to where Leia was waiting.  
  
"I'm sorry about that, Dack," Leia apologized, "so where were we?"  
  
"Dad was just telling me that you were my mother," he replied.  
  
"That's right. Where would you like me to start?" Leia asked.  
  
"At the point of why you abandoned me," Dack said, unable to mask the hurt in his eyes.  
  
Leia cringed slightly, but covered it well, "I didn't abandon you, Dack. I didn't even know you were alive. I knew I was pregnant with you and I wanted to keep you. I really did. My mother and aunts didn't approve, so they must have given me something to induce labor. I passed out, and when I woke up, they told me I had lost you."  
  
Her story seems plausible enough, Dack thought, "But why didn't you tell dad?"  
  
"Well," Leia replied, "I found out I was pregnant while your father and my father we're gone doing work for the rebellion. My aunts and mother made me promise not to tell either of them about you, otherwise they would make your father and me stop seeing each other. When I had the miscarriage, I figured there was no point in telling either."  
  
"I guess that was a pretty big mistake," Dack said.  
  
"Yes, it was," Leia replied, "one of the biggest ones I have ever made. And I'm sorry for all of this. I really am."  
  
"So am I," Dack said, "so am I."  
  
*****************  
  
TBC.. 


	21. Dinner Plans

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1  
  
  
  
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After talking for awhile, Leia told Dack and Kyle that she had to leave and do some research.  
  
"What time do you want to meet at the mess hall for dinner tonight?" Kyle asked.  
  
"Actually, we could go to the Falcon. Han has a little real food left that we've been saving for a special occasion, and this one seems as good as any," Leia replied. "How about you come down there at 1800 hours? The Falcon is in the 13th docking bay."  
  
"Ok. We'll see you then," Kyle said and then Leia left.  
  
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Leia tried to do some research for the mission her and Han had been planning, but she couldn't concentrate. Too many things were just running through her mind. She finally decided to give it up and look for Han. She needed to tell him about tonight anyway. So after she left a message telling Jaina to meet them at the Falcon for dinner that night, Leia set out to look for Han.  
  
Leia found Han upside down in a hole working on the main engine and yelling at Threepio. "No, I want the other hydrospanner, Goldenrod."  
  
"But, sir. I don't see another one," Threepio complained.  
  
"Maybe you should get your eyes fixed," Han shot back.  
  
"I had them checked out last week, and the maintenance technician said they were in prime condition," Threepio said, matter-of-factly.  
  
Leia spotted the hydrospanner in question on the other side of the room. She picked it up and handed it to Han. "Finally, you malfunctioning, rusted bucket of wires!"  
  
"You've called me a lot of names over the years, but that has got to be the harshest," Leia said, jokingly. Han jerked his head up "Leia.ouch!" Han said as he hit his head on a tool protruding over the edge of the hole.  
  
Leia fought back a grin as she asked, "Are you alright?"  
  
"Just fine," Han said, "What brings you down here?"  
  
"Well, we're having dinner with Dack and Kyle here tonight," Leia said.  
  
"Wonderful. We're using up the rest of the good food tonight, I guessing," Han replied.  
  
"If you don't want to do this, then fine. I'll eat with them in the mess hall and Jaina can do what she wants," Leia angrily said and she turned to go.  
  
"Wait, Leia," Han said grabbing her arm. "I'm sorry. I know this is hard on you, too. It's just, well.that's the last of the good food."  
  
Leia laughed at that. "I know. But it's for a good cause, isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah. I guess it'll be good for him to meet his stepfather," Han said, "stepfather.I don't like the sound of that."  
  
"Well, maybe you two can think of a better name," Leia replied, glad Han was open to the idea of making Dack a member of the family. Kyle would be another story. Leia could tell he still had feelings for her, and if Han saw that, he wasn't going to trust, or like, Kyle.  
  
"So when do I have to have supper ready by?" Han asked, knowing he'd be the one cooking.  
  
"They're coming at 1800 hours," Leia answered.  
  
"Alright, I guess I can have it done by then," Han replied.  
  
"Thanks, Han," she said, kissing him on the cheek.  
  
"The things I do for love," Han said, shaking his head.  
  
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"What's wrong, Jaina?" Jag asked as they landed their X-Wings back on Shelter. "You've seemed distracted all day."  
  
"Nothing," Jaina replied, knowing Jag could see right through her.  
  
"Come on. What is it?" Jag asked. "You can tell me.  
  
"I just found out that I have a stepbrother," Jaina said.  
  
Jag's jaw about dropped to the floor. "How is this possible? Who'd child is it?"  
  
"He's my mom's," Jaina replied, "she had an affair with a Jedi when she was like 16. And supposedly she was told that the baby had died when it hadn't."  
  
"Wow, how's you're mom taking it?" Jag asked.  
  
"She's surprised right now, but she's accepting it," Jaina replied.  
  
"And your dad?" Jag asked.  
  
"Better than my mom would have had she been in his position," Jaina replied, "he's being as understanding and nice about it as he possible can. But an argument between them is brewing and I don't want to be there when the pot overflows."  
  
"Yeah, and how are you?" Jag asked.  
  
"I'm okay. Just confused and a little angry," Jaina replied, "I just don't understand how my mother couldn't have known and why this son hasn't shown up before now. I guess I can ask those questions tonight. My mom told me we'd be having dinner with them."  
  
"Well, let me know how I goes," Jag said, " if you need someone to talk to, you know where to find me."  
  
"Thanks, Jag," Jaina replied gratefully, "I really appreciate it."  
  
She kissed him on the lips briefly and then walked out of the hanger.  
  
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End file.
